The Journey of Chivalry
by Blue-on-the-run
Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog, after saving the storybook world once ruled by King Arthur, is now forced to carry the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders. How does he plan on doing this? Why, in his own special way, that's how! Rated T just to be safe.
1. The Troubled Land of King Arthur

**_Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all other related characters and elements belong to SEGA._**

The sun stood in the sky proudly, kissing the land with it's warmth and chasing away every cloud that dared to hinder it's shine. All kinds of critters basked in the wonder of the day, from the birds that sang happily, to the small beetle crawling across the shortest blade of grass. Every living thing seemed to agree that it was the best day of their lives, as they did every day. Nothing could bring their spirits down, they were too busy appreciating life. Amongst the joyous creatures in the field was one of the more intelligent beings of the land. A young girl, clothed from head to toe in her pink and green cloak, skipped through the field with a basket in hand. Her skin was a pale green and her hands like mittens, clearly not human. Her eyes looked much more like that of an animal, large, dark pupils full of emotion and personality. She was one of the many strange inhabitants of this legendary land, a land of ancient times. The girl slowly leaned down and picked one of the many white flowers that covered the meadow. She hummed a gentle and mystifying tune as she carefully chose which plants to place in her woven basket. The wind lightly stirred, making the flowers sway back and forth slowly as if dancing to the girl's song. As she reached for another lovely plant for her collection a small rabbit poked it's long ears up from beneath the grass. The girl smiled and held her hand out, greeting the harmless animal. "Hello bunny! How are you today?" she giggled. The brown rabbit twitched it's whiskers slightly, standing on it's hind legs as it's ears titled from left to right. It listened for a few moments, deciding which course of action to take, then bolted past the girl diving into a hole. "Wait little bunny! I won't hurt you!" the girl moaned as she watched her furry friend disappear into the ground. "What are you so scared of?" she wondered aloud, thinking for a second or two and trying to remember what her parents had told her about the plains. Suddenly, a dark cloud snuck up behind her, appearing from nowhere it materialized and took the form of a tall, armored mutant. It raised it's curved blade high, letting out a roar as more of it's kind came into view. The girl dropped her basket, screaming as she recognized the monsters from stories she'd heard from the castle. She turned and ran out of the meadow, down the hill until she could see her village. "They're coming! They're coming! Mommy, Daddy, help!" she screeched as she ran past many of the other villagers who began gathering and looking towards the direction she had come from. A few seconds passed in silence as their eyes didn't leave the hilltop. They all held their breath as many thoughts raced through their minds, each of them thinking the same thing but not daring to speak up. Finally, the first mutant appeared on the top of the hill, once again raising it's weapon and roaring to the others. The people of the village began panicking, running into their homes while others fetched the best forms of weaponry they could find; mostly scythes and pitchforks. "Hurry! Try to chase them off!" one of them shouted. "We'll stand and fight!" another agreed. One man raised his pitchfork and called to the others, "Show them no fear! Do not let them take our village, for the sake of our families we--!" he was unable to finish as one of the monsters charged towards him, throwing him into a cart that fell apart by the force of the impact. The other villagers held their weapons tightly, trembling as the army of mutants marched forward.

The double doors burst open as the red knight rushed into the throne room. "Your Highness! We have trouble at the edge of the Kingdom!" he cried, stopping dead in his tracks as he gazed upon the empty throne. He turned his sights to the lilac feline dressed in her armor. She approached him calmly, hoping to relax the troubled knight. "Where is the King!? I must speak with him!" the red echidna shouted to her. She shook her head, "The King has... Gone out to survey his new Kingdom."

"And he's been gone for a rather long time." A black hedgehog emerged from the shadows, a scowl on his face and his eyes, though covered by a metal mask, narrowed and somewhat icy. The echidna stuttered, "W-Well, when will he be back?" his gaze switched back and forth from the cat to the hedgehog as he waited for an answer. "We don't know," the cat finally broke the silence, "What's going on, Gawain?" Placing his hands on the sides of his head, Gawain did his best to remain calm, "Th-There's been an attack... In the Out-lands, a village was raided by the Knights of The Underworld!" The other two knights' jaws hung open, both of them losing their composure as they gasped. "There are still more of those beasts appearing?" the hedgehog, Sir Lancelot, growled through clenched teeth. Percival, the feline placed a hand on his shoulder as she tried to calm her friend, "We have to find the King and warn him." The other knights nodded and turned towards the door before a new voice caused them to stop. "I believe the three of you are overreacting." it said in tones soft and crystalline. The three looked back to see the royal wizard standing next to the throne, her arms wrapped around her golden scepter and her purple cloak over her head. She lifted her gaze to them and stared each of them in the eye, "We have nothing to fear, for the King has his own habit of arriving wherever and whenever there is trouble." Gawain scoffed, "Are you saying we are to do nothing while our Kingdom is under attack?!" he raised his clenched fists angrily. "No, Merlina is right." Lancelot said softly, "The King will take care of the matter, whether we ask him to or not." he turned his back and left the room. Percival looked towards Gawain, "Even so, we still must try to help in any way we can. Let us search the town and hopefully locate the King. The sooner he can hear of this the better." The two knights marched out, following after the first, leaving Merlina alone. She ran her left hand along the arms of the throne while clutching her scepter with her right. Her expression loosened into a look of worry, "Where are you, Sir Sonic?" She whispered under her breath.

"Shouldn't we be at the castle?" a smooth, elegant voice asked.

"What for?" The blue hedgehog leaned his head against a tree as he chewed a weed. "Well, to rule over the Kingdom. Being a King means you have certain duties to attend to." the voice replied. The hedgehog smirked as he crossed his legs, "Now why would I want to do that?" he chuckled. "Because you're the King! Why else?"

The hedgehog spat out the weed and sat up, lifting his sword to his face. "Hey, you're the one who made me king, and I didn't even want to be! I think you'll just have to deal with it." he said with a snide grin. The face of the sword scowled, "Hmph! You have a lot to learn about ruling a Kingdom, Sir Sonic." it's words were firm, but almost sounded concerned. The hedgehog knew it was right, as much as he hated to admit it. _Why did I have to pull a _talking_ sword out of a stone anyway? _he mentally kicked himself, making a note not to go yanking weapons out of rocks without caution. He rose to his feet, stretching his arms as he took in a breath of fresh air. "I feel like going for a run. Care to join me, Caliburn?" he lifted his sword and twirled it through the air. Caliburn scoffed, "Why do you ask when I have no choice?" Sonic laughed lightly as he began jogging, "That's exactly why I asked." Caliburn groaned. _Oh, the arrogance!_

Picking up speed, Sonic sprinted across the meadow freely, his acceleration enough to uproot the grass as he raced by. But he was only sprinting, any faster and he would probably leave a smoldering trail behind. He smiled to himself as he traveled the land, the scenery passing by so quickly he had very few seconds to take it all in. But he did take it in, every bit of it. This land, this Kingdom, was truly a beautiful place. Untouched by modern day machinery and construction, the air was always clean and the wildlife flourished without any restrictions. A tinge of sadness entered the hedgehog's heart as he was reminded that he was in a completely different world from his own. He almost wished that this land were a part of his own world, no matter the distance he would have to travel, he would enjoy returning again. As he wandered through his thoughts he failed to notice the cart on the road ahead, it's driver frantically waving for the speeding blue bullet to steer clear. Sonic snapped back to reality and leaped over the cart just in the nick of time, creating a gust strong enough to force it over, spilling all of the corn inside. He dug his heels into the ground, skidding to a stop before walking back over to the grumbling driver. "Hey, sorry about that." he lifted the cart back onto all four wheels then began picking up the spilled food. The man calmed his panicked horse and waved a hand, "Think nothing of it, Sir Sonic. I would imagine you have a lot on your mind." The hedgehog paused, raising an eyebrow as he placed the last bit of corn back into the cart. "What makes you think that?" he asked lightheartedly. "Well, with those wretched Knights of The Underworld still running rampant and attacking villages, it must be a hard time to be a Knight right now." Sonic's eyes went wide, "Attacking villages?" he gasped as he looked down at Caliburn, who simply sighed. "It would appear that dark forces are still loose throughout the Kingdom. We must look into this immediately."

The townsfolk were busily hustling about their work all over Camelot, each road littered with carts filled with merchandise. Everyone was far too occupied with their own business to notice the two knights frantically searching the marketplace. Sir Gawain marched through the crowds, apologizing as he hastily pushed past the distracted citizens. He scanned the crowds carefully, searching for any of his fellow knights and hoping they would arrive with Sir Sonic. As he stepped off of the main road something caught his eye, shimmering as it leaped across rooftops swiftly and approached him. The shiny figure leaped down in front of him, sighing heavily as she shook her head. "No sign of him?" Dame Percival asked. Gawain grumbled, "No. Where could he possibly be? Why can't he be here when we need him!?" Percival opened her mouth to speak just as a light breeze picked up. It moved down the alley, as though some large being were drawing in a breath. Less than a second later Sir Lancelot appeared, dropping from his hole of distorted space that he had warped with. He walked up to the other two knights and held up a victorious fist, "The King is on his way to the Outlands now. I saw him outside the Grand Kingdom just moments ago." Percival sighed with relief as Gawain nodded, "Excellent! Well done, Lancelot." he chuckled as he abruptly patted the ebony knight on the back. "Yes," the lilac feline agreed, "Now we must see if there is any way we can assist him. Let's go." she turned and leaped back for the rooftops. Lancelot vanished from sight leaving Gawain in the alley, shaking his head, "You two are far too stealthy." He ran back to the busy streets and once again apologized as he forced his way through the crowd.

Sir Sonic raced across the green plains, running up steep hills and sliding down carelessly. He leapt across stone ruins and through deep caves, almost laughing out loud as he enjoyed challenging himself to go even faster. And oh, how he would accept that challenge! Daring to achieve a new limit in this free and open land, with nothing there to stop him... Except Caliburn, scolding him for his recklessness as they narrowly avoided several obstacles. It may have caused him to slow down, if only a little, but it didn't bring his spirits down in the least bit. He laughed and pressed forward, skipping every other stone and restraining himself from leaping across that cliff he passed by. Although he wasn't accelerating as quickly anymore, his posture and steps remained unaltered. He ran in long strides, graceful and steady, but yet fast and furious at the same time. He continued on until something up ahead caught his eye, and it was probably the only thing that could possibly dampen his mood at the time.

He stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the scene before him for a few moments before slowly proceeding into the ruined village. He walked past the burnt houses and overturned carts, many curious eyes watched him as he greeted them only with a sympathetic gaze. "I've never seen the Knights of the Underworld do this before..." he wondered aloud, his voice almost wavering ever so slightly. Caliburn snorted, "Indeed. This is quite unusual, even for their relentless nature." The two remained silent after that, though they both were sorry to see such a terrible sight. Sonic almost froze on the inside as he passed a small family; a mother with two children in her arms, mourning over their lost home. He stopped in the center of the village, looking around and hoping to see some area that wasn't destroyed... No, everything had been lost during the attack. From one end of the town to the other, broken wood and ash coated the ground. Shaking his head, Sonic looked down towards his blade, "Why would they decide to do this? I mean, if they've never attacked like this before..?" The hedgehog turned his attention to a limping villager, using a plank of wood for balance as he approached the knight. "Are you Sir Sonic, the Knight of the Wind?" His tone didn't sound as though he was asking, but rather, begging. Despite his heavy heart, Sir Sonic smiled, "That's me." The man nodded, "Yes, yes... You've come to see what damage has been done?" Sonic shuffled his left foot a little as he placed Caliburn's tip into the ground, "Yeah, well, I heard there was an attack, so I thought--"

"You came to see what those beasts have done to us and our homes, eh?" a new voice called out as a tall man stepped forward. He pointed an accusing finger towards the hedgehog, "Well that's not gonna do'ye any good! You're too late, we've lost everything." He grumbled and folded his arms, lowering his head. Caliburn scoffed loudly, "Watch your tongue! Do you know whom you are speaking to?" he scolded. Sonic lifted his sword and shushed it, "That's not important right now." he half whispered. He felt a gentle tug on his arm and turned to see a young girl, sheepishly lowering her face as he looked down at her. She took a deep breath and raised her voice, "You... You're going to stop them, aren't you Sir?" she squeaked and looked up to him with hopeful eyes. Swallowing hard, Sonic knelt down to her level and met her gaze. "Those monsters ruined your home, didn't they?" The girl nodded vigorously, blinking back tears as she clasped her hands together. Sonic smiled, "Don't you worry, kid," he rose up and patted her head, "The Knight of the Wind is on the job!"

Running back the way he came, Sir Sonic raced back towards Camelot with a new more lively spring in his steps. He had a new motivation now, he had a goal in mind, and he was more than determined to achieve it. He ran past three familiar figures on his way, each one of them calling out the word _King_followed by his name. He rolled his eyes as he stopped, turning back to the Knights of the Round Table as they ran up to him. "Hey, guys, the name's Sonic. Just Sonic, okay?" he said with a smirk as the three hardly paid any attention to his request. "Have you seen the village, Sir?" Gawain asked, getting a wave of Sonic's hand as a reply. "Yeah, I saw it. It's not a pretty picture." he folded his arms and became quiet for a moment. Caliburn spoke up to the group, "This is a rather odd result from the Knights of the Underworld. Something is very wrong about them burning an entire settlement to the ground." The feline raised her hand, "I concur. What if this is only the beginning of a series of vicious attacks?" she gazed towards the blue hedgehog, hoping for an intelligent and inspiring word. Sonic shrugged, "Beats me, but we're going to find out sooner or later." he began scratching behind his ear inadvertently. "Oh yeah," he raised his voice once more to draw in all of their attention, "Those people that lived in that village will need a place to stay." He then turned his back to the three and started to jog. Lancelot exchanged glances with the other knights and hollered, "Forgive me, Sir, but what are you implying?" Sonic craned his neck to look back at them, "I don't know... Let them stay in the castle for a while! It's not like we need all that space for ourselves, right?" he called back before dashing off, leaving without another word. The trio stood still as stone, dumbfounded by what their new leader had just suggested. "How inappropriate for commoners to be staying in the King's house!" Gawain scoffed as he threw his arms down anxiously. Percival sighed, "Nevertheless, we mustn't question his orders." The other two nodded and began heading toward what was left of the small town, ready to inform all of the unfortunate peasants of their new, and hopefully temporary, home.


	2. The Strange Ways of the King

Everyone in Camelot was busy as usual, rushing about as they finished up their work for the day so they could get some rest and do it all over again the next day. The streets weren't as crowded, most of the horses had been put away and the carts had been covered for the evening. The air was filled with the welcoming scent of fresh baked bread as dinners were cooked and the wind started to carry a chill. Sonic ran down the empty stone path, taking care to avoid the citizens still out. He swerved to miss one or two and leaped over several, he had remembered the few times he had run into pedestrians and was genuinely sorry.

He finally approached the castle, sitting atop a plateau, proudly overlooking the kingdom. Sonic slowed his pace and glanced back at the horizon. The sun was making it's steady decent out of view, it's rays illuminating the land with pink and orange hues. "Truly beautiful." Caliburn sighed. Sonic smiled, "Yeah..." he breathed as he admired the way the colors seemed to reach down and touch everything beneath the sky. Normally he wouldn't pay so much attention to scenery, although he did enjoy stopping to watch the sun rise or set every now and then. But it felt... Different watching the sun set in this land, a world that seemed light-years away from his own. It was refreshing. It felt magical. Perhaps if one were to reach the horizon before all light faded away, would they see where the sun hides each night? Maybe, in this world, you can catch falling stars with your hands, and there really is a pot of gold at the end of each rainbow..? The hedgehog shook his head, perhaps he was getting a little too imaginative for his own good.

He entered the castle, greeted only by the sound of his footsteps echoing through the empty stone halls. _I can't believe they expect me to live in this big stone box_. Grimacing as he looked around, Sonic paused and began tapping his foot impatiently. _Where is everybody? _His eyes wandered up to a stained glass window, each of it's colored shards glowing as the sunlight shone through. He took a step back to get a better look at the image on the window; A sword in a stone, surrounded by a humble forest setting. "Look Caliburn, that must be you." he laughed. The sword rolled it's eyes, "Your brilliance knows no bounds." it groaned. The hedgehog's chuckles abruptly ceased and he turned to Caliburn, preparing his own witty comeback just as another voice came from behind them. "Greetings, Your Majesty." the wizard stepped forward and bowed her head. "Hi Merlina. Now cut it out with all that King stuff. It's Sonic. _Just_ Sonic." he couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. Why did everyone have to put him up on a pedestal? He was still the same guy, the same knight that saved the Kingdom from the Underworld. Though, when he thought about it, perhaps that was a good reason for them to put him up on a pedestal. Merlina placed a hand over her heart apologetically, "Forgive me, Sir Sonic. I meant no disrespect." Sighing, he settled for his knightly title and changed the direction of the conversation. "There was something I wanted to ask you about." he folded his arms as a sign that he was done fooling around, "You know how the Knights of the Underworld attacked recently? They sort of burned a whole village to the ground, that's something they don't do everyday. I want to know why they did it in the first place." He looked up at the sorceress as he leaned his back against a stone wall. "Any ideas?"

Merlina looked down for a moment, a tint of sadness filled her eyes as she searched for a way of explaining things. "The Legions from the Underworld were first summoned here by King Arthur." she slowly started as Sonic scoffed. "King Arthur, the illusion?" he said with a smirk. She nodded, "Therefore they were bound to serve him. He wouldn't order them to destroy his own kingdom, just ensure that it was all under his control even in his maddened state. But now that there is no one commanding them, they are free to do as they wish to this world. I fear we may be in more danger than we realize." she lowered her head solemnly as she finished. "Okay," Sonic scratched his head, "But how are they getting out of the Underworld? There isn't anyone here to summon them anymore." Merlina was silent for a few seconds before she spoke quietly, "That, I'm afraid, I do not know." The blue knight sighed lightly, "Well, we're bound to find out sooner or later." he smiled warmly and gave his signature thumbs-up. "Let's hope so," Caliburn added with a pessimistic tone of voice, "I would hate to think that we have not seen the last of such vicious attacks." Sonic grabbed the sword and lifted it to his face swiftly, "Hey, lighten up Dull Blade! We've dealt with these guys before." he curled his lip as Caliburn gave a disinterested look. A few moments of silence passed between them before the halls were filled with a high-pitched ringing. Lifting her head, Merlina smiled, "It sounds like dinner is ready." she turned and started down the hall as Sonic absentmindedly replied. "That's nice. I'm going out for a run." he began heading back out of the castle while Merlina reached out to him. "Sir Sonic, are you not hungry?" she called. He stopped and thought for a second, then slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am." not two seconds had passed before he had dashed ahead of her and into the dining hall.

He walked into the large room, eyeing the long table covered in silver platters. "Mmm, what are we having tonight?" he asked on of the maids putting more food down on the table. She lifted the lid off of one of the platters as steam burst out from the dish. "Roasted turkey and ham for the King and the Knights." she answered just before the hedgehog placed the lid back on the platter and took it from her. "Sounds tasty!" He put the dish into a sack and proceeded to gather the rest of the food until the table was practically empty. He tied the sack shut and swung it over his shoulder, smirking as he saluted the maids in the room. "Thanks for the dinner!" and with that, he disappeared in a flash of blue. Caliburn gasped, "What on earth are you doing?" he frowned up at his bearer who simply smiled as he continued running.

Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain and Lady Percival had their work cut out for them. Their goal was simple enough: Escort 150 villagers to Camelot Castle. But the real question was just how would they manage to do that? They each threw suggestions into the mix as they tried to figure out the best solution, though they knew their plan would have to be approved by the King. "We can't give them each a horse to ride, be reasonable." Lancelot spat his words to his fellow knight. Gawain shrugged, "Pardon me for thinking out loud." he crossed his arms bitterly as Percival rose to her feet. "The King-- Erm, Sir Sonic has returned." she said with a smile. The blue hedgehog stopped just inches in front of the three, waving his sword around as he grinned. "What's up, guys?" The trio bowed their heads in respect as they greeted him. "We were discussing how we would escort the commoners to the castle." Lancelot stepped forward and gestured towards the large group of townsfolk, all huddled around small campfires. Sonic frowned, "We can't just bring them there?" he asked, confused. "No, we can't. The castle is a long way to travel on foot. It could take days to get this many people there." Caliburn answered. Sighing, Sonic shrugged one shoulder, "Oh... I'm sure we'll figure something out. In the meantime," he set his sack down and pulled out one of the silver platters, "Who's hungry?" He called out to the crowd, as he held the food high. One by one, each of the villagers lifted their heads as their eyes filled with hope and adoration. Sonic glanced back at the other knights, "What are you standing around for? We've got some people to feed!" He took the lid off of the platter, threw it over his head and picked up his sword. "What do you think you're doing?!" Caliburn scolded, "I am not to be used as a mere carving knife!" Snickering under his breath, Sonic took a rag and wiped his blade clean, "Sorry, Caliburn. You'll have to do." The sword glared at him as he proceeded to carve the meat. The villagers approached him with a pleading stare as Gawain leaned closer and whispered, "Pardon my asking, Sir, but where did you get this food?"

"The maids at the castle had it ready to be served." Sonic answered as he started handing slices out to the townsfolk. "The castle?" the three knights gasped in disbelief. "I know, isn't it great?" he laughed, seemingly unaware of his sin. Gawain grumbled quietly, "you mean that was supposed to be our dinner?" he clenched a fist as he watched the fancy meat get eaten by commoners. "Yes..." Percival spoke in hushed tones, "Why would he do that for them?" Lancelot hid a smile as he laughed once under his breath, "Hm, he certainly has an odd way of doing things." The black hedgehog walked over to Sonic and began helping to feed the others. Percival smiled towards Gawain and joined the hedgehogs, leaving the echidna and his grudge alone. It took a few long moments for Gawain to loosen his grip, but he managed to let it go. He slowly walked over to the other three and offered his assistance as well.


	3. For the People

Everyone ate their fill and settled down for the night, though most were sleeping on the ground with only a single blanket for comfort. Several campfires had been put out while others were left burning for the warmth during the chilly night. The Knights of the Round Table sat around one of the fires as they discussed their plan to move the villagers. "It will be a long journey," Percival explained, "These people aren't accustomed to walking long distances. They would normally ride on horseback."

"Horseback? Way out here? I don't see any horses." Sonic folded his arms as he glanced around the dark remains of the village. Lancelot sighed, "They were all lost during the attack." he nearly rolled his eyes at Sir Sonic's ignorance, resisting the temptation to scold his own king. Caliburn cleared his throat and clarified, "And they were a vital part of these villagers' lives. All of the farmers would bring their produce to this village, where it would be packed in wagons towed by horses and delivered to Castle Camelot." Sonic's eyes lit up with realization and he sighed heavily as he turned his gaze to the fire.

"Well," Caliburn looked around at the knights, "I see no reason for us to stay awake all night. We should get some rest and figure it out tomorrow."

"Thank you!" Gawain gasped as he fell back onto a blanket, clearly exhausted. The other knights soon did the same but in a much more civilized manner. They bid goodnight to their King, who insisted they just "Go to sleep already!" and went to rest.

Sonic laid down on his blanket, but unlike his friends, sleep did not come to him easily. He gazed up at the stars, observing the different patterns and constellations. _Even the stars are different here_. He pointed a finger up at the sky and began tracing his own pictures by connecting the stars._ I've got other things to worry about, like how to get all of these people to the castle. How would I go about doing that..? _He nearly laughed at the thought that he burdened himself with this task. Surely a difficult one, but not impossible._ There has to be some way... _A smirk traced his lips as his eyes widened. _That's it! _He slowly stood up, being careful not to wake the others, and took up his sword. "What are you--?" Caliburn whispered before Sonic put a finger to his lips then took off into the night.

Percival twitched and shivered as the sun slowly crept over the horizon, making it's way higher into the sky and lighting up the land with it's warm glow. The feline rose up and yawned, stretching her arms and legs as she took a look around, watching as some of the townsfolk began to awake._ It's so chilly_. She told herself as she bent down and gently nudged Sir Gawain. "Awaken. Now begins a new day, and we've quite a task ahead of us." she turned to Lancelot and did the same. The two knights stirred, both of them slowly rising as they stretched their muscles and yawned. "Is the King awake?" Gawain mumbled as he rubbed his eyes before putting his helmet on. Lancelot gasped, "I should hope so. He's gone!"

"Gone?" Percival and Gawain quickly glanced around, hoping to catch sight of their leader and unable to believe that he was missing. "Where could he be? He was here when we went to sleep last night!" Gawain picked up the blanket from where Sonic once laid, flinging it around as though it would help to find their missing king.

"Hey guys, lookin' for me?" the blue hedgehog's cheeky tone was too distinguishable to be mistaken for another. The three knights lifted their gazes to the top of a hill, each one relieved to see Sir Sonic standing victoriously as he looked over the large group of villagers. He came running down to greet them, swinging Caliburn around before placing his tip into the ground. The knights kneeled before him, each one calmly stating how pleased they were to see him that morning. Sonic didn't tell them to rise; Not this time. He leaned his elbow on Caliburn as he closed his eyes and rubbed his nose in a cocky gesture.

"I beg your pardon, Sire," Lancelot spoke up, "But what has you so jolly today?"

"Sir Sonic has been rather busy during the night." Caliburn informed them while Sonic smirked proudly and looked over the crew to watch their expressions. "Busy..? Whatever could you have been doing in the dark?" Percival asked politely, though clearly becoming frustrated as she was unable to find her own explanation. The blue hedgehog winked towards the feline before he dashed back up the hill, whistling loudly to get everyone's attention. "Follow me, everybody! I've got a surprise for you!"

The townsfolk exchanged glances with each other, then with the knights, all of them questioning what Sir Sonic could possibly be up to. Lady Percival gestured for all to follow as they made their way to the top of the hill. The sight below was enough to knock them off of their feet. "Blazing dragons!" Gawain exclaimed as he stumbled back, nearly falling back down the hill.

There stood a train of carts, each one pulled by a horse and some contained supplies for traveling. They were lined up on the path neatly, ready to start the journey to Castle Camelot. Sonic looked so insignificant next to the long train, even though he was making himself known by waving his arms and shouting. "All aboard for Camelot! Come on down, everyone!" he kept signaling for them to follow. The villagers reached the top and stood next to the three knights, gasping and telling the others behind them of the amazing sight. A little girl made her way to the front and squealed, running down the hill with her arms wide open and laughing, "Horsey! Horsey!" Sonic laughed out loud as he caught the girl before she had the chance to pounce one of the horses. He lifted her up and placed her into one of the carts and told her to take a seat.

Gawain laughed as he looked towards Percival and Lancelot, each one wearing a smile as they shook their heads, still dumbfounded by what they were witnessing. "Well, let us get seated for our quest to Camelot!" Percival shouted, eliciting a cheer from the crowd of villagers as they started towards the train of carts. The Knights of the Round Table aided the townsfolk in taking their seats in the carts, doing their best to arrange that families could stay together and friends could remain close. Lancelot walked over to Sonic and crossed his arms, gazing at the blue knight with an amused expression and accusing eyes. "What?" Sonic questioned innocently as he placed Caliburn on his shoulder. "How did you manage this?" the ebony knight nearly chuckled as he was still amazed at what his leader had managed to accomplish in one night. Sonic closed his eyes and flashed a cocky smile, "I can manage a lot of things that you've never even dreamed, Shadow." he snickered and opened his eyes to cast a confident glare towards his rival. Lancelot didn't respond. His expression looked puzzled as he gazed at the blue hedgehog questioningly. Quickly retaliating, Sonic lowered Caliburn and scratched his head shyly. "Oh, my bad... Lancelot." he quickly corrected himself. Lancelot nodded knowingly, "It must be a rather uncanny resemblance between this... Shadow and I for you to mistake me for him so often." he presumed. Sonic snorted a laugh, "'Uncanny' doesn't even begin to cover it."

Lady Percival approached the two and bowed her head, "All of the villagers are seated and ready for the journey, Sire." she lifted her head just as Gawain stepped forward and mimicked her actions. "We've paced the groups in each cart just enough to keep the horses going as long as possible. We do not wish for them to tire out soon after we begin our travels." Sonic gave them a thumbs-up and nodded, "Great. Guess we're all set then." He stepped away from the carts so that everyone along the train could see him. Percival took a seat at the front of the first cart, taking up the reigns to the horse while Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain placed themselves at the middle and back of the train to watch over the townsfolk. Sonic called out to them, waiting until he had their undivided attention to announce, "Alright, let's get going! To Castle Camelot!" he raised Caliburn into the air as the villagers shouted victoriously, applauding the knights for their kindness and help. Percival lifted the reigns and whipped them back down, urging the horse forward and bringing the whole train of carts into motion.

The people were all wearing smiles as they finally set out for their new and temporary home. They conversed with each other about what Camelot could possibly be like, and some even asking if they would get to see the king. All of them were ecstatic about leaving the site of their grief and loss. Sonic ran ahead, checking for any obstacles and being sure that they were taking the safest route possible. Every now and then he would dash out of sight, then come running back to ask a question or two about the local terrain. Caliburn watched his bearer intently as he raced back and forth, a smirk plastered on his lips the whole time. "You certainly seem to be putting quite a bit of effort into this task, Sir Sonic." he commented in an admiring tone. Sonic shrugged, "I just want to help, that's all." He didn't notice the sword smiling up at him approvingly. "Well done." Caliburn sighed. The hedgehog looked down at his weapon, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean well done? Did I just finish one of your little tests or something?" The blade chuckled, "You could put it that way. Compassion for the people is just one of the many traits important in a King." he spoke in a tone that could almost be described as proud, though Sonic seemed too occupied to notice. He dismissed whatever Caliburn had said the moment he heard the word "King."


	4. Learning to Trust

Hardly an hour had passed since the caravan of carts had started it's trek across the plains. All of the knights were on their toes, watching the villagers and ensuring their safety and comfort were always relevant. Gawain marched next to one of the carts boldly, proclaiming his strength with every step like a personal guard to the people. His thoughts were set on the task at hand, the only thing on his mind was completing the journey successfully as their king had commanded of them. A soft, sweet voice humming caused his thoughts to waver, and he lowered his powerful demeanor a little as he turned to the source of the mystic tune. That one little girl, all clothed in pink, swayed her head gently to a rhythm as she went about humming. The red knight was hesitant to smile, but something about the song seemed heartwarming, his curiosity was starting to get the best of him. "What tune might that be that you are performing, young lady?" he asked with a gentlemen-like tone. The girl looked up at him and giggled, "It's a song that my Mama taught me. She says that it's very very old-- Even older than Camelot!" she threw her hands up for emphasis. Gawain raised an eyebrow under his helmet, "My, that _is_ old, isn't it?" he looked up towards the amused mother of the child, rolling her eyes as she smiled at the knight. The girl nodded, "Yes Sir! Oh, and it's got words, too." she added with another giggle. "What is it's title?" the echidna now had his full attention on the young maiden. With a few seconds of thinking about it, the girl squealed as she quickly remembered, "It's called 'I Will Give My Love an Apple' and it's words are very old, too!" Sir Gawain chuckled, "You don't say?"

Sir Sonic was a few miles ahead, walking at a very relaxed pace as he whistled. He held Caliburn on his shoulder, the well-polished blade flashing as the sunlight reflected off of it; A small sign letting the other knights know that he was still near. The hedgehog's spirits were high as well as his pride, his recent display of work was probably some of the greatest he had done since he had arrived in this storybook land. Of course, he didn't seem to care as he waltzed forward with his little tune. Gathering several horses and carts was difficult and boring, but nothing that the hedgehog would continually be proud of. Nothing adventurous about that. His whistle slowed and dragged out a few notes before coming to a stop, along with his feet. "Is something the matter, Sonic?" Caliburn asked as the blue knight flicked his ears, listening carefully. He waited in silence, not moving as he stood like stone, his eyes scanning the area around him. His breathing was slow and calm, so quiet the hedgehog could hear his own heartbeat. Thirty seconds passed with no results. Nothing happened, not a sound was heard, Sonic lowered his guard as he sighed. "My mistake." he turned around and started back towards the others just as he heard a thunderous roar behind him. He whirled around, slicing thin air with Caliburn as he saw a row of Dark Legions marching towards him. "I knew something was up!" he leaped towards them with a smile on his face as he began swinging his blade furiously. His strikes were like lightning, amazingly fast and strong, piercing the enemy soldiers and slicing clean through them. He hadn't always been so coordinated with his weapon before. When he had first been introduced to the idea of battling with swords he hardly had a clue of what he was doing. He was very frustrated with it, like he had to learn to fight all over again. But he was a fast learner.

He took out dozens of the evil knights within only a minute, only causing his cocky grin to grow even wider. "You guys are so slow. Don't you ever get any exercise down in the Underworld?" he taunted as he brought his sword down, splitting one of them in half before reversing Caliburn and thrusting it behind him, taking out another. The hedgehog's gaze lifted ahead of him just as a long line of smoke appeared, allowing more Dark Legions to step onto the battlefield. They each held a long lance, incredibly large and very intimidating. They pointed them towards the blue knight and charged forward, giving him just seconds to leap over the row before another materialized behind the first. Sonic's smile vanished as he saw the first line of soldiers proceeding away from him, heading towards the traveling cart train. The reality of his situation suddenly slapped him in the face as he realized what was at stake. He quickly ran after the enemies, hoping to reach them before they reached the unsuspecting townsfolk.

"Make haste, and catch up with them!" Caliburn shouted, though Sonic was already moving at high speeds. He ran straight into the back of the line of enemies, swinging his blade furiously to take out as many as he possibly could. He continued ahead of the soldiers, knowing he wouldn't have time to take them all out before a few of them reached the villagers, he stopped in front of the train and waved his arms. Percival yanked back on the reigns, the whole line of carts reacting as each horse stopped abruptly before running into the one ahead of them. "Sir Sonic, what's wrong?" she asked. Sonic pointed behind him, not even looking back as he proceeded to look for the other two knights. "We've got company." he sighed just as Lancelot and Gawain approached, their weapons already unsheathed and ready for battle. Lancelot raised his single-edged sword, Arondight and pointed it towards his enemies, daring them to take another step closer and risk his ebony blade tearing them in half. Gawain held Galatine, two small blades in his fists, both almost the size of an ax, he sliced the air ferociously as he prepped for the fight ahead. Percival rose up from her seat and drew Laevatein, her rapier, it's thin, elegant blade as sharp as a pin as she held it close, ready to stab any who intended to harm the innocent townspeople.

The Dark Legions charged forward, forming a half-circle around the front of the train of carts and keeping a safe distance away from the Knights of the Round Table. Tension rose as all the knights, both good and evil, stared each other down, anxiously waiting for one to make the first move. Some of the evil soldiers growled in deep tones, their breath the color of smoke as they exhaled, releasing a stench of rotting flesh into the air. Gawain drew in short breaths, sweat beading down his face as he looked towards the blue knight for guidance. "Do you have a plan?" he called out, his muscles tensing around his dual blades. "Yeah," Sonic's eyes narrowed, "Attack!" He leaped up high and curled into a ball, holding Caliburn straight out as he spun like a blender. He soared over several of the Dark Legions, taking them out as he continued his spin dash. Sir Lancelot vanished from sight in a bright flash of green, then reappeared in front of a few of the soldiers, slicing his blade in a horizontal arc and eliminating three of them in one swing before disappearing to do it all over again. Lady Percival, unlike Lancelot, didn't have the element of surprise on her hands. Instead she did what she was best at by boldly charging into the crescent of enemies and igniting a small flame on the end of her sword. "Time to do this." she whispered before her entire body was engulfed in the blaze. She twirled around like a fiery cyclone, steering herself into the Dark Legions and burning them to a crisp. Sir Gawain, gliding over most of the battle, landed right in the attack range of one of the biggest evil soldiers there. He barely managed to doge as the Giant One brought it's gigantic ax down, slamming it into the ground and causing the earth to shake. Gawain leaped upward, gliding towards the Giant One with his dual swords gleaming. He dropped down on top of the enemy, plunging his weapons into it's head, leaving nothing but smoke of the once so-powerful legion.

Sonic gracefully ran his blade through another Dark Legion before his spines stood on end at the sound of an ear-piercing scream. He spun around to see one of the evil knights threatening to push over one of the carts as the villagers within screamed in horror, scrambling to escape. The blue knight growled deeply, bearing his teeth viciously as he rushed over and tore through the beast. The townsfolk cheered as Sonic straightened the cart out, being sure that it was in no danger of tipping on it's own. "Why are these guys so bent on harming the innocent people?" he asked out of irritation as he spun around and twirled Caliburn into another enemy. Lancelot suddenly appeared next to the blue one, standing back to back with his King as the two hedgehogs continued swinging cold steel. "I do not know," the ebony knight snarled, "But it has to be something significant. Why would they face up against all of the Knights of the Round Table just to attack these same villagers?" Sonic bit his lip, he'd never thought about the possibility of the Dark Legions being after specific people. It was a sickening thought, maybe there was something he didn't know? Something that attracted the Knights of the Underworld to these villagers... He shook his head, focusing on the current task at hand. Most of the enemies had been defeated, leaving only scattered remains of the once intimidating army. Sonic smirked, "Alright, I need everyone to stand clear!" he shouted as he held Caliburn high into the sky. The Knights of the Round Table quickly stepped back, heading near the train of carts as they watched their leader curiously. Caliburn was soon enveloped in a mystic, blue glow, and for Sonic, all time seemed to stand still. The other knights only had a chance to blink before all of the enemies surrounding them were dissolving into smoke with Sonic standing in the same spot, a smile spread across his face and Caliburn's edge still ringing in a melodic chime.

Gawain blinked a few times, lifting his helmet to make sure he was seeing things correctly. "How did he just do that?" the red knight stared on in disbelief. Percival also raised her metal protector from her face, "Perhaps it's a power of the sacred sword?" she suggested. Lancelot laughed once, clearly unsurprised by the blue hedgehog's display of speed. "No. That was Sir Sonic's doing. There's more to him than meets the eye." he stated coolly. Sonic walked towards the group, though he wasn't smiling as they had seen just moments ago. His expression was firm, concerned even, as he looked towards them and then began pacing up and down the line of carts while clutching Caliburn. "I need everyone's attention!" he announced with an air of dignity, "This is the second time these goons came after you guys. It wasn't your land that they wanted, it wasn't your goods; It was you." A young boy gulped audibly as the hedgehog held a serious gaze. Sonic continued, "I'm not blaming any of you. I don't believe it's your fault that the Knights of the Underworld are going after you. But if any of you know something or even think you do, I need you to tell me. It's _extremely_ important." All of the villagers remained silent, some of them looking towards each other with worried glances while others only wished they knew what the Dark Legions were wanting. Sonic sighed, "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"They may not have any clue as to what could be so alluring to the Dark Legions." Caliburn said, "But I am sure that it will become clear in due time." The other knights nodded in agreement, giving their support in the slightly discouraging moment. Sonic gave a small smile, "I know it will! In the meantime I need you guys to keep an eye on these people." the blue hedgehog gave a wink and ran up the path, racing out of sight before the knights had a chance to protest. Gawain crossed his arms, "Where is he going this time? I wish he would at least tell us how long it will be before we can expect to see him again." he grumbled in a very irritated tone. Lady Percival sighed, wanting to say something to lift Sir Gawain's spirits, but the pleading gazes from the townsfolk caught her attention. She turned to them and raised her arms as if to calm them, "Don't worry, Sir Sonic will return soon. You still have us three to protect you during his absence." The people exchanged glances with one another, then settled back into their carts, waiting to resume their journey. "Well then," Lancelot stretched his arms, "Let's get moving. We'll see how far we can make it before the King gets back."


End file.
